For anyone who has lost weight, it is a known fact that it takes a lot of will power and the ability to form new healthy habits and attitudes when it comes to food.  It is not that easy to make healthy food choices in certain circumstances and surroundings.  Being aware of these diet danger zones and knowing what to do when temptation is present is the key to your success in maintaining your healthy weight!

Temptation 1: The Work Place!

Offices and other work places commonly have donuts, candy and other poor food choices to tempt us. And, if eaten often, will cause us to gain weight.  Your best chance for success in adhering to your Take Shape program is to have a ready-made plan for the day and also enlist help from like-minded co-workers.  Suggest bringing healthy foods to meetings, or ask the person in charge of bringing refreshments to choose healthier options that aren’t so fattening.  If you are on the 5 and 1, remember your Medifast products at work so that you are never caught without a meal and you can keep on schedule!

Temptation 2: Happy Hour!

Sometimes it is fun to relax with co-workers or friends after work, but happy hour can set you up for failure, especially if you have had a stressful day.  You will have more of a tendency to let down your defenses and have something that is not part of your plan.  If you know you are going to join friends after work, make sure that you enjoy a Medifast shake or mango punch or pudding instead of drinking alcohol that adds carbohydrates and sugars and will kick you out of the fat burning state. Also drink plenty of water. Sometimes it is best to just say “no” and stay away from happy hour if too tempting.

Temptation 3: The Gym

Many gyms have smoothie bars and carb/protein bars and sport waters now.  Beware of all of these products.  Although they may look to be beneficial during your workout, they are usually packed full of calories and carbs which will kick you out of the fat burning stage!  As long as you are eating every 2.5-3 hours and following your program properly, you do not need these products.  Make sure that you drink alot water during your workout.  Bring an extra meal replacement and water to enjoy after your workout.

Temptation 4: Vacation!

Vacations can be diet destructors, but they don’t have to be!  Vacations are meant for you to take a break from the normal routine and relax and enjoy!  As a result, many will totally forget their good eating strategies and “pig out”. All-inclusive vacations are the biggest culprits for forming this type of behavior.  You can avoid packing on the pounds by having a plan before you go.  I want you to have fun, so don’t try to lose weight on your vacation, but don’t go gaining weight either!  Going on a simple maintenance plan will help you to make wise choices during your vacation, (consult with your health coach) and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and relaxed when you return home!

Temptation 5: Air Travel!!

Airports are full of tempting calorie packing foods to entice all weary and hungry travelers.  You must be on full alert when entering airports. Make sure that you pack bars and shake packets that you can easily mix on the plan.  Pre-bake Medifast brownies, cookies or muffins, bring along a shaker jar and bring no excuses!  Have your lean and green meal while at the airport to keep you from choosing to eat the peanuts or pretzels on the flight.  Be careful when you order a vegetarian meal: it will most likely be pasta!

Temptations pop up daily… Name some that are a concern to you…

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What plan can you have ahead of time to help you steer away from these temptations?

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Here are some tips to get motivated:

1. Start re-reading Dr. A’s Habits of Health and start the workbook. A great place to begin is to take the health assessment in Chapter 5. You can download this assessment by going to Habitsofhealth.net and click on take health assessment.
2. Make a new structural tension chart with your current reality and your goal. Then write down all the things you will do to reach your goal, no matter what. Set a time line and look at it often
3. Start a daily journal
4. Make the decision to communicate with your health coach at least once a week.
5. Listen to the support calls on Monday and Wednesday every week, either live or the recording.
6. Don’t look back…keep your focus on the prize and don’t let anything get in your way.  Make the rest of your life the best of your life!

How Can I Identify Eating Triggers?

Situations and emotions that trigger us to eat fall into five main categories:

Social: Eating when around other people. For example, excessive eating can result from being encouraged by others to eat; eating to fit in; arguing; or feelings of inadequacy around other people.

Emotional:    Eating in response to boredom, stress, fatigue, tension, depression, anger, anxiety or loneliness as a way to “fill the void.”

Situational: Eating because the opportunity is there. For example, at a restaurant, seeing an advertisement for a particular food, passing by a bakery. Eating may also be associated with certain activities such as watching TV, going to the movies or a sporting event, etc.

Thoughts:   Eating as a result of negative self-worth or making excuses for eating. For example, scolding oneself for looks or a lack of will power.

Physiological: Eating in response to physical cues. For example, increased hunger due to skipping meals or eating to cure headaches or other pain.

To identify what triggers excessive eating in you, keep a food diary that records what and when you eat as well as what stressors, thoughts, or emotions you identify as you eat. You should begin to identify patterns to your excessive eating fairly quickly.

How Do I Break Myself of the Habit?

Identifying eating triggers is the first step; however, this alone is not sufficient to alter eating behavior. Usually, by the time you have identified a pattern, eating in response to emotions or certain situations has become a pattern. Now you have to break the habit.

Developing alternatives to eating is the second step. When you start to reach for food in response to a trigger, try one of the following activities instead:

• Watch television
• Read a good book or magazine or listen to music
• Go for a walk or jog
• Take a bubble bath
• Do deep breathing exercises
• Play cards or a board game
• Talk to a friend
• Do housework, laundry or yard work
• Wash the car
• Write a letter
• Or do any other pleasurable or necessary activity until the urge to eat passes

What If Distracting Myself Isn’t Enough to Keep Me From Eating?

Sometimes simply distracting yourself from eating and developing alternative habits is not enough to manage the emotional distress that leads to excessive eating. To more effectively cope with emotional stress, try:

• Relaxation exercises
• Meditation
• Individual or group counseling

These techniques address the underlying emotional problems and help resolve the original problem as well as teach you to cope in more effective and healthier ways. For more information on these techniques, contact your doctor.

As you learn to incorporate more appropriate coping strategies and to curb excessive eating, remember to reward yourself for a job well done. We tend to repeat behaviors that have been reinforced, so reward yourself when you meet your nutrition management goals. Buy that blouse, take that vacation, or get that massage to reward yourself to increase the likelihood that you will maintain your new healthy habits.

1. Reach for water before you reach for a snack. It’s the cheapest, safest appetite suppressant there is.
2. Keep the cupboards bare. You’ll save both money and temptation. By cutting back on the amount of food choices you have around, there will be less impulse snacking.
3. Do something inspiring. A cheap incentive is sticking a picture of a dress you’d really love to wear where it will motivate you. For those with a wild side, get your belly button pierced.
4. Use spices liberally. Ginger, cayenne, jalapeno peppers and Tabasco sauce can boost your fat-burning ability by up to 25%, according to a researcher at Kyoto University in Japan.
5. Sleep for weight loss. Getting enough sleep does more than keep you from eating for energy. The University of Chicago recently found that a woman’s metabolism rises 40% when she gets enough sleep.
6. Be a smart shopper. Have a list when you go to the supermarket to prevent impulse purchases. For extra exercise, leave your cart at the end of each aisle and carry what you need back to it.
7. Follow the pros’ lead. To get fit fast, models cut out the ABCs — alcohol, bread, and complex carbohydrates.
8. Beat nighttime cravings. Researchers have found that dark rooms and the darkness of night make us more likely to overeat. Try scheduling your bedtime for an hour earlier. If you have a favorite program that you like to watch at night, tape it. Switch to brighter light bulbs for cheerier surroundings, you’ll be happier and less likely to binge.
9. Always eat breakfast. It fuels you for the day and you’ll be less hungry at lunch.
10. Snack right. A hard candy is only about 20 calories and can last up to twenty minutes. A 400-calorie ice cream cone never lasts more than ten minutes. Try these tasty treats that are less than 150 calories: two Oreo cookies, a McDonald’s Ice Cream Cone, a half cup of Italian Ice, a Starbucks Frappuccino Ice Cream Bar, Jell-o with whipped cream, angel food cake with strawberries, a Fudgsicle.
11. Listen to feel-good music when you have the urge to binge. Researchers have found that it activates the same feel-good center of the brain that eating your favorite foods does.
12. Don’t eat unless you’ve made a place setting.
13. Drink green tea. A study conducted by the University of Switzerland discovered that drinking green tea increases the number of calories your body burns. Try to drink three cups a day.
14. Concentrate on what you’re eating. Keep food out of sight while you’re watching TV, reading, studying or answering email.
15. Get out. Try to spend twenty minutes a day sitting outside or taking a walk or, at the very least, sit by a sunny window. Sunlight helps to control food cravings.
16. Eat healthy at the mall. Order a kid’s meal or a salad without heavy dressing. Have a yogurt for a quick pick-me-up.
17. Get minty fresh. Brush your teeth and tongue with the best-tasting toothpaste you can find. Use mouthwash and breath mints to trick your taste buds.
18. Watch your portions. Just because you’re given a certain portion doesn’t mean that amount is what your body needs. Eat only until you’re comfortably full. A little left on your plate each day adds up to a long-term decrease in calories.
19. Give up one bad eating habit. For example, if you eat in front of the TV or in bed, move your meal to the kitchen table.
20. Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you have a diet plan that’s too low in calories for your weight and energy level, you’ll slow down your metabolism as your body attempts to conserve calories. Don’t dip below 1,200 calories or aim for more than a one- to two- pound weight loss per week.
21. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
22. Dance in your car. While you’re stuck in traffic, work your abs. Concentrate on your rib cage — pretend you’re an exotic dancer and swirl around. Not only will you see your waist whittle and your abs harden, you’ll release lower back tension.
23. Buy a jump rope. It’s great exercise, and even more fun if you can remember all the rhymes you jumped to as a kid. You’ll get your heart rate up and work the muscles in your upper and lower body, especially the stomach if you contract your abs while jumping.
24. Work your butt. When you’re in the car or standing in line, contract your buttocks for fifteen second intervals. Tighten your muscles as you breathe in and then breathe out and release. It not only firms your butt, but relieves stress.
25. Act goofy. Even if you’re too busy for the gym, you can still do cardio. Put on a pair of socks and slide around the house like a skater. You’ll burn 150 calories in just ten minutes.
26. Get some free weights. It’s all you need to start a strength-training regimen.
27. Take two steps at a time when you climb stairs. Skipping a step will force your leg and buttocks muscles to extend and work harder. Plus, this movement releases endorphins that will make you feel great!
28. Do yard work. Pull weeks, dig holes and rake your lawn. Gardening just one hour can burn up to 500 calories.
29. Rent or buy some exercise videos. It’s like having a health club in the privacy of your own room.
30. Burn calories while doing housework. Do several chores at one time. For instance, make the bed, put laundry in the dryer, run upstairs to fold clean clothes and put them away. When you’re making the beds, keep your shoulders back and pretend you have a book on your head. While you’re dusting, roll up on the balls of your feet to work your calves.

Health and Happiness,
Lori

Through my years of coaching, I have found that for those clients who take a break from the program or stop short of their goal have a hard time getting back on program. Why? One reason may be that they don’t recalculate where they are right now. So many times people think they will just get started like they did before and find they don’t have the same motivation as they once had. The reason may be that they have already changed, they are not in the same place as they were when they first got started. They weigh less, have less aches and pains, people are telling them they look good, etc. Yesterday is yesterday, and today is today!

Before getting restarted, you need to know your current reality. If you don’t know where you are, then you can’t plan ahead and make new goals for yourself. There should be some tension between where you are and where you want to go; this will give you the “why” to keep you focused and help you stick to your program no matter what. Next, write out all the actions you will need to do in order to reach your goal. Decide that you will do these actions no matter what happens. Make the decision that nothing is more important than your health.

Please get Dr. A’s book, Dr. A’s Habits of Health, its companion guide, and now the video series: Healthy Mind and Healthy Body . It is necessary! The first six chapters will get you geared up for success! The rest of the book teaches you how to live healthy for the rest of your life. The workbook and training video help to keep you on track!